CO-DESIGN OF E-COMMERCE LAST-MILE DELIVERY AND RETURN OPTIONS WITH ZERO EMISSIONS

CodeZERO is a three-year project aiming to co-create sustainable and zero-emission last-mile delivery and return solution for e-commerce that are also attractive to consumers. It is articulated in four phases: -An ANALYSIS phase which provides (1) an analysis of existing delivery and return options and an understanding of how they are shaped by the needs and constraints of all involved stakeholders; (2) an in-depth intersectional analysis of various groups of on-line consumers to understand what are the features of delivery and return options making them attractive, with the aim to identify mechanisms to incentivize behaviour changes; and (3) develops an assessment framework to measure the impacts in the environmental, economic and social domains of new solutions. -A DESIGN phase, in which CodeZERO engages in a co-design process involving retailers, transport operators, consumers and local authorities in developing (1) guidelines for retailers to raise awareness among customers; (2) a set of zero-emission and sustainable delivery and return options for retailers and transport operators; and (3) a toolset for local authorities to accelerate the transition towards sustainable solutions in last mile consignments in e-commerce. -A TEST phase running 4 pilots in 4 different European cities in Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, and Norway to test a set of sustainable solutions identified in the previous phase with the aim to prove their feasibility, to fine-tune their design and to assess their impacts from the perspective of all stakeholders. -A CONSOLIDATION phase where (1) CodeZERO outcomes are fine-tuned based on the lessons learned from real life applications, (2) requirements for up-scaling of solutions at European level are discussed (3) recommendations are formulated and (4) directions for future research are outlined. Engagement with consumers and retailers’ associations, industry stakeholders, cities and researchers contributes to shaping its results.